


Wild Stallions

by Saiyurimai



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: But not without a lot of angst, F/M, Feels, Hate Sex, Heavy Angst, M/M, Mentions of Slavery, Multi, Polyamory, Potentially Happy Ending, Sex, Threesome - F/M/M, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships, Violence, so many feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:02:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24397738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saiyurimai/pseuds/Saiyurimai
Summary: The ever charming stablehand has caught the eye of a lowly kitchen aid. Bucky feels like there could be something there between them but are her hopes for something more dashed before they even really began? The handsome stable master has caught the eye of an incredibly greedy Count as well. Can she ever truly find the love she hopes for?
Relationships: Julian Devorak/Original Female Character(s), Lucio (The Arcana)/Original Male Character(s), Lucio/Nadia (The Arcana), Original Male Character/ Original Female Character
Kudos: 3





	Wild Stallions

“-and then when you’re done with those you can move on and make lunches for the Count and the Countess.” Bucky nodded as she moved to do as the head chef told her to. Already he was working on the feast for the night. Those roasts always took such incredible care for being made and the Count always expected the best. She had been working here at the castle for a long time now. The work wasn’t overly difficult but it was long hours. And if the food wasn’t absolutely perfect one ran the risk of being at the wrong end of Count Lucio’s annoyance. She’d been lucky enough to not be on the receiving end yet but there were several folks who hadn’t been so lucky.

“Oh my god have you seen the new marshal? He’s so handsome!” One of the other kitchen hands giggled, gossiping with her friend. Bucky hadn’t made very many friends since she’d been here. And the one real friend she had was currently off in some far-off land, traipsing alongside the magician.

“You know he’s a complete and total flirt though. He probably sleeps with anyone and everyone he can charm into his bed. Not that I’d mind of course.” The woman sighed wistfully as she worked on peeling veggies. Bucky listening quietly as she worked on the lunches for the Count and Countess. “Gods the things I’d let him do to me…” 

“Oh please! You’re married! What would your husband think?” The women laughed and bantered on, talking all about this mysterious new man who worked in the stables. But Bucky ignored much of it. So many people were in and out of the palace it was possible that she wouldn’t even meet the man. Besides, she had too much work to do anyways. She gathered the trays of food and carried them both out of the kitchen, first dropping the one in Lucio’s wing, the other handed off to Portia who beamed happily.

“Bucky! Thank you so much. I was going to make Nadia’s lunch but I got held up at the market this morning. How are you doing?” The red head smiled at her; her smile was always a bit contagious. 

“Not too bad. And don’t worry about it. It wasn’t that big a deal. Did you get anything good?” The two chatted. Portia was always so bright and cheerful, a refreshing personality from the sometimes overly strict and gruff people that worked here. It was relaxing to talk to her. But Nadia always kept her so busy. 

Eventually the two had to part ways and Bucky was back in the kitchens again, working on some of the staff meals. “Bucky. Bring this to the stables, will you? I don’t have time today to bring this out myself. And when you’re done go ahead and take your break.” The chef handed her another tray full of food and a cover for it. She did as she was told, grateful that she was going to get a break. Being on her feet all day was tiring after all. She headed out through the many halls and corridors, passing a few of the other servants in the process. For as quiet as it was, one would never know exactly how many people actually worked for the palace. 

She never really went out to the stables though, usually that was reserved for other staff, most of the workers there would just come into the kitchens when they had a chance to grab some food. But this was a meal for one person. Probably the new stable master. The guy was probably just as stuck up as the last one, she hated that guy. The last guy was always rude, always pissed off about something or other. He was always looking down that crooked nose of his until finally he was kicked by a horse and couldn’t work anymore. She made her way out through the open corridor, hearing the horses and the earthy smell of the stables.

She turned and saw a couple of workers bringing out some of the horses, taking them to the fields to run and eat at one end. It wasn’t overly noisy, save for the loud clopping of their hooves and the various neighs and whinnies from the horses. She wasn’t exactly sure who she was looking for, stopping to ask if someone knew where the new stable master was. “Silas? Oh yeah, he’s working over in the rounds right now, doing some cool down with one of the mares. Just head on that way and you’ll see him.” One of the guys told her, barely looking up from brushing a large stallion in one of the stalls.

She thanked him and followed where he’d told her, not sure what to look for until she noticed several round pens where two people were working, a couple of horses tied to contraptions that she didn’t quite understand the purpose of. “Oi, when you’re done with Myst then go ahead and run the other two mares will ya?” An unfamiliar voice called from sitting atop the edge of the pen, watching the silver mare walking in circles. Bucky’s eyes immediately were drawn to his trim figure. Seeing the tattoos over his arm and partially covered chest. He had his dual toned hair pulled up from his face, a deep plum and teal color that showed off the gold piercings in his ears. 

Now she knew exactly why some of the other women had been so chatty about him. He seemed to feel her watching him, his golden caramel eyes finding hers as he shot her a charming grin, hopping off the side of the pen with a litheness she could only describe as graceful. “Hey, is that for me?” He asked, running a hand through his hair as he approached. “You didn’t have to bring it all the way out here just for me. I could’ve gone in and grabbed it when I was done. But thank you.” He motioned for her to follow him, leading her to an overturned barrel that had some stools next to it.

“It’s not a problem. I’m used to it; besides not like I get much of a chance to come out here. You must be the new marshal?” She asked as she set up the tray and watched him take a seat.

“Yeah, that’s what they tell me anyways. I’m Silas.” He extended his hand to her for her to shake and she accepted, his hands were calloused and slightly rough. Probably from manhandling the horses. “Why don’t you join me? I don’t think I could possibly eat all this in one sitting.” He grinned up at her and she hesitated. “Unless you’re still working?” He had a notch in his eye brow from a scar but that only seemed to add to his attractiveness.

“No, no. I’m actually supposed to take a break after this so…” His grin brightened and she couldn’t help the way her heart fluttered in her chest at that. The guy had charm.

“Good, then you’ve got time to keep me company. I assure you; you get used to the horse smell.” He motioned for her to join him and split up the meal between the two of them. He made sure to push the meal between the two of them as she hesitated. “Please? I’d love to get to know more of the people here.” He smiled charmingly up at her, kicking out the stool for her.

Bucky worried her bottom lip. She was on break after all…there couldn’t be much harm…She took a seat, sitting properly like she’d been taught, back straight. “Thank you. What’s your name gorgeous?” He asked as she settled in, taking a bite of an apple slice, cutting off the next piece for her.

“Bucky. Thank you. And you’re welcome. I’m just doing my job though.” She offered, taking the slice and nibbling it, watching him carefully. He was incredibly handsome, the leather straps and dark tattoos looked wonderful against his sun kissed skin. His honey gold eyes were sharp and showed an intelligence she thought many might overlook due to his profession. He chuckled, biting through a piece of meat.

“A pleasure to meet you Miss Bucky. Nonetheless I am thankful you brought it to me and for you keeping me company while I watch Myst here cool down. You ride?” He asked her and she shook her head with a soft snort.

“No, not at all. The last time I rode a horse it nearly scraped me off against the nearest tree.” She shuddered and nibbled at her apple slice. “Not exactly a great experience. And not one I am keen on going through again any time soon.” Silas chuckled again, that deep rumbling sound that was so genuine. It was something she could get used to that was certain. 

“Well you know that horses can sense an inexperienced rider. And you probably didn’t get paired with a good one to begin with. Still, I’m sorry about that.” He was watching her, inspecting her movements, the way she sat as if he was trying to gauge her. “Still, I’ve been told I’m an excellent teacher and not to toot my own horn but I do have a pretty good read on a horse’s temperament.” He smiled, a dimple appearing on his cheek.

Bucky shook her head and tucked a hair behind her ear. “I appreciate it but I doubt I would really have the time to learn to ride. Cook has me busy most of the time. Especially with the Count and Countess. All of their parties, going to get groceries every other day. Not to mention the various other chores that need to be done.” Usually by the time she finished she was so worn from the day she just washed and went to bed. It was hard work keeping up with the palace and the expectations of her supervisors. But it was better than being out on the street. She at least had a decent place to sleep at night.

“Hm. Well, last I checked we get at least one day a week to do as we please. Still, if you ever want to, I’d be happy to teach.” He hummed and took a swig of his water, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed, turning his gaze to the horse walking in circles next to them. She watched him curiously, he was keen, eyes watching like a hawk.

She was silent, listening to the sounds of the stables around them, turning to watch the mare wandering in circles. “So what’s that thing?” She asked curiously, his gaze flicked to her and a smirk hit his lips.

“This is where we put horses to cool down after being trained or ridden. There’s a mechanism that is inside of there powered by magic to keep it spinning at a certain rate to cool the horse down after they’ve been worked. It’s called a hot walker. You see Myst here, she was recently brought back from a ride to the nearest city, ran pretty ragged and just like you or me sometimes after a hard run or bout of exercise we need to cool down to not damage the muscles.” He flicked his gaze back to the mare and leaned forward, watching the mare walk. “It can also be used to warm up a horse who’s getting ready to race, or a horse who’s been stall bound or injured. Or when we can’t let them out into the field.” He sipped at his drink again and moved a little closer to her.

“You see how she walks? Favoring her back leg there? It’s subtle but could be muscle strain. Could be she’s got a loose shoe or something stuck inside of it.” He pointed to where he was indicating. She followed his finger and watched like he was watching. Trying to see what he saw. He was right, there was a little bit of a limp to her gait, it was slightly off. 

“Yes, you’re right. She’s hurting at least a bit. How did you notice it?” She asked turning to look at him, flushing when she realized that he was much closer than she had thought he was. He grinned.

“I’m just that good luv.” He winked and she felt heat rush to the tips of her ears as he pulled away again. He put a piece of bread in between his teeth and hopped into the pen, a slice of apple in his hand as he reached out to the mare. His movements were lithe and graceful. The man had a way about him, a sense of confidence that she found a little intimidating. She watched him a few moments longer, seeing him feed the mare the apple slice and letting her stop the cool down walk, the two finishing their food as he rubbed her cheek. “That’s my good girl. Let’s get you rubbed down, some fresh hay and grain. Then you get to spend the next couple days just relaxing hm? Aren’t you lucky? Getting pampered.” He spoke softly, Bucky feeling her heart skip a beat at the kind look on his face.

“Listen, just come on by whenever you think you might want a lesson and ask for me. The first one’s free.” He grinned at Bucky, taking the mare’s lead and shooting her a wink as he started to lead the mare out of the ring and towards one of the other stalls further into the stables. Bucky watched him disappear and tried to keep her breathing under control. She shook her head and grabbed the used dishes, hurrying back to the kitchens so she wouldn’t be in too much trouble for taking a longer break than necessary.

She still got into trouble, the chef putting her on dish duty for after dinner. She hated dish duty. But she was ten minutes late after all and they were nothing if not punctual here in the palace. She was kept busy well after dinner, most of the others having finished their duties and leaving her to finish hers alone. For the most part. “You two are not supposed to have another treat. If you want to complain then talk to your master. He’s the one who told us not to give you any more treats.” She eyed the two silky white dogs who were begging her for something to eat.

Mercedes whined and tried to give her the best puppy dog eyes they could muster. Bucky sighed and shook her head. “Count Lucio will kill me if he found out. Maybe go ask him. I’m not about to be beheaded because you have issues with his rules.” She smiled and worked on the dishes. Both dogs growled and huffed, making her laugh under her breath. They were normally so spoiled but after getting too many treats Count Lucio declared that they weren’t allowed any from anyone but him and Nadia. She wasn’t about to lose her life to feed the pair of greedy pups. No matter how cute they were. 

“Oh! I…I didn’t know someone was still here.” Bucky nearly jumped when she heard Silas approach behind her from the servant’s entrance. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle. What are you still doing here?” He asked as he leaned up against the counter, looking like he’d freshly washed, beads of water still running down from his messy bun of hair on his neck.

“I…I got stuck with dish duty. Drew the short straw. What are you doing up so late? I would’ve figured you’d be in bed by now.” She glanced up at him and noticed him sneaking a treat or two to the dogs who wagged their tails happily. “You know you could get killed for that.” She offered to him but he just chuckled and shrugged.

“I’d like to see him try. I’m tougher than I look, Lucio isn’t going to do shit to me.” He reached down and surprisingly was able to pet both of the dogs, neither of them ever lets anyone but Lucio pet them. “Now go on and get you two trouble makers. I’m sure your daddy is looking for you.” Mercedes and Melchior moved off to go find their master, leaving her with Silas alone.

“How? How did you do that? Anybody who tries ends up with their hands or fingers bit off.” She stopped her washing and looked after where the dogs had left. “Even Nadia can rarely touch them.”

Silas shrugged and leaned against the counter again, looking at her with those warm caramels. “I got a way with animals I suppose. Always been a bit of a gift. I don’t mean to brag but I’ve been known to tame a few unruly beasts in my time.” He smirked confidently and faced her a bit more. “But, I was wondering if there was anything left from supper? I was busy doing something and didn’t get a chance to grab my piece.” He looked a little sheepish at that. She wondered just what he had been so busy doing to miss dinner for the servants. But decided not to push it.

“There’s some leftovers sure. They’re in the ice box.” She motioned towards the perpetually cold box they put their perishables into. There was a spell on it that kept it cool so things didn’t go bad which was nice. Very convenient. Silas nodded and moved to look through it, scratching idly at his chest as he searched for something to eat. He pulled out a few scraps that had been saved from dinner and settled in to eat it cold. “You know you can use the stove to warm it up?” She offered him and he shrugged, tearing into the food.

“Nah. It’s fine. Not a big deal. It’s just to eat really quick before bed. Besides I don’t want to make more dishes for you to do.” He nodded to the smaller pile that was still left for her to do. She followed his gaze and sighed. Her hands were pruny from the water already. And she was starting to get tired. “But I don’t mind keeping you company.” She hummed noncommittally and turned back to the dishes. 

It was quiet, Silas eating while she worked on scrubbing the night’s food off the plates. She could feel his eyes on her, watching her like he’d been observing the mare earlier. “You know it’s pretty rude to stare.” She muttered, hearing his warm chuckle from behind.

“Of course. Of course. Apologies. I was just trying to get a read on your accent. You’re not from around here?” He asked and she froze a moment.

“Says the guy who has an even bigger accent than I do.” She tossed back quickly, making sure not to look at him, he was too observant to give him any chance at figuring her out. Silas hummed and sipped at his drink.

“You’ve gotten me there. I’m not from around here. I’ve been through here a few times in my life but it’s been awhile. A long while.” He mused and she couldn’t help but look back at him, seeing his face darken a bit before that charming grin graced his lips again. He stood and grabbed his empty dish, bringing it to her side and gently moving her out of the way with strong hands on her hip. His hands dipping into the water to rinse off his plate. “Ya look tired luv. Why don’t ya go and get some sleep. I’ll finish up.” He nodded towards the servant’s quarters.

“What? No. I mean, it’s my duty to wash these. And I’m almost done-“He raised a brow at her and shook his head. 

“I’ve got this. Go on. I promise I won’t tell anyone. It’ll be our little secret.” He whispered, using his hip to nudge her out the door. She hesitated a bit but she was tired. She saw him get to work on the last bit of dishes, the guy wasn’t going to move. She sighed and muttered a quiet thanks as she left the kitchens, walking through the halls. She caught sight of the Count leaving his wing and heading towards the kitchens, probably for a late-night snack like he always did. She just hoped that Silas was gone before he arrived as she slipped into the servants’ quarters and found her small room. Her dreams were filled with caramel and warmth from a touch of hands on her hips.


End file.
